64th RAI in Innsbruck 2018

Der Beitrag wird den Beruf su-si(-ig) behandeln, der ziemlich selten in den Texten des 3. Jahrtausends nachweisbar ist und Übersetzungsschwierigkeiten bereitet hat. su-si(-ig) ist traditionell als ,,Abdecker", oder ,,Tierschinder" übersetzt worden; jedoch zeigen die Texte, dass su-si(-ig) eigentlich mit der ersten Stufe der Berarbeitung der Tierhäute beschäftigt war. Diese erste Stufe der Behandlung der Felle war die Säuberung der Häute (kuš zalag/dág) bzw. die Enthaarung, die duch das Eintauchen der Häute in eine Mischung aus Milch und Mehl stattfand. Die Tätigkeit der su-si(-ig) wurde anscheinend, zumindest seit der Altakkadischen Periode, allmählich von der Lederarbeiter (ašgab) übernommen worden. Dies und die Tatsache, dass er im Gegensatz zu den meisten Handwerkern ausserhalb der bewohnten Zentren arbeitete, kann erklären, warum su-si(-ig) nicht nur im 3. Jahrtausend, sondern auch in der ganzen schriftlichen Überlieferung Mesopotamiens so selten bezeugt ist.

The Third Dynasty of Ur lasted for nearly a century (2112-2004 BC). Five Sumerian kings ruled this dynasty and their reigns witnessed prosperity in all aspects of life; political, administrative, economic, architectural, artistry and literary. Thousands of Ur III cuneiform texts were scattered in several museums and private collections over the world, all of them came out of illegal excavations that had been done in several Mesopotamian cities and sites such as Lagash (Tel Al-Hiba), Umma (Jokha) and Puzriš-dDagan (Drehem). The Iraq Museum also contains some of Ur III cuneiform texts that came from scientific excavations; the rest of these texts had been part of an unknown digging. This study is based on some Ur III unpublished texts. The texts were confiscated in the beginning of this century, bearing a female name called "Ša-at-eš-tár". The aim of this study is to collect the archive of this person and to know her position in the administrative and economic situation in Sumer. The primary study of these texts that have been chosen from the Iraq Museum and other published texts raise several questions about Ša-at-eš-tár, i.e., who is Ša-at-eš-tár, what position did she play and where? What was her position, and in what kind of business did she participate? In which year of king’s rule did she precisely appear? In terms of geography, why did she appear in a certain location without the other during the Ur III period? In conclusion, I will attempt to understand the relationship of Ša-at-eš-tár with other characters appearing in Iraq Museum texts and other publication texts, e,g. Loding, D., Economic Texts from the Third Dynasty of Ur, UET IX 1976, David, I.O., A. Rudolf, H.M., The GarŠana Archives, CUSAS 3, Maryland 2008. In addition , these questions should be answered after studying the published and unpublished texts from the Ša-at-eš-tár archive.

We have long known that—for a brief while in the 21^st century BC—a shaky peace existed between the Third Dynasty of Ur and the kingdoms to the east—including Elam, Marhashi, Shimashki and so on.  The primary motivation in Mesopotamia may well have been related to trade, especially in metal and stones.  This paper will consider whether the importation of livestock into Mesopotamia was another key commodity.
We have long known that the peace was in part maintained by the exportation of princesses as brides to eastern potentates.  This paper suggests that brides from the east were also imported into the royal house of Ur. In addition, princes moved frequently between lands, and this paper considers the role of the prince Šu-Enlilla, who criss-crossed the border repeatedly over twenty years.
Finally, we shall consider whether we can find evidence for any cultural transfers, or transfers of ideas, on either side of the border.